Green Thinking Blog

Al Gore published a new article on November 9th for the New York Times. It’s called “The Climate for Change,” and I think it’s an important read for all of us.

“The Climate for Change”

Towards the beginning of his two-page opinion article, Gore makes this powerful statement about the relationship between the climate, the economy, and energy security:

“Here is the good news: the bold steps that are needed to solve the climate crisis are exactly the same steps that ought to be taken in order to solve the economic crisis and the energy security crisis.”

The bulk of the article provides a five-step plan for the U.S. to gain 100% energy independence in ten years by producing ALL our own carbon-free energy. Gore says this plan will help solve the climate crisis, solve the economic crisis, and provide us with millions of new jobs right at home. Here’s a little summary of each of those steps.

1. Invest now in incentives for new solar thermal plants, wind farms, and advanced plants in geothermal hot spots
2. Build a modern, unified national smart grid to carry renewable electricity from rural areas to cities using “high-voltage, low-loss underground lines”
3. Help the U.S. auto industry convert to plug-in hybrids
4. Provide quality insulation and energy-efficient lighting and windows for buildings nationwide
5. Put a price on carbon dioxide emissions and replace the Kyoto treaty with a better treaty that limits emissions and urges nations to work together on reducing global warming, especially deforestation

Take some time to read the article this week and share with others.

PepsiCo has graciously provided volunteers to assist in installing over $200,000 worth of donated materials to the San Francisco Green “X-Ray” House.  This house was a dilapitated ruin that is turning into a green gem that will act as a showcase for affordable green options to homeowners.  Green Building Exchange, Building Quality Communities, and PepsiCo are installing such fabulous features such as:

• Energy efficient windows
• Solar panels
• Tankless water heater
• Drought tolerant landscaping

Better yet, the house will have cut away walls to show the difference between a green home and traditionally built homes.

Their website isn’t fully updated yet, but check it out for further information & check back in the future for more pics… I am dying to see this diamond in the rough!  I will keep you posted too…

According to Eco-Wordly, South Africa recently debuted their first electric car at the Paris Motor Show.  The country’s Joule, an MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) was created for $6.2 million, $4.5 million of which was contributed by their Department of Science and Technology.

This vehicle can run up to 400 km on 2 battery packs, using a variety of battery styles.  Optimal Energy created the car to create 0 emissions, however, they did not count for the emissions that would be created at a power station.  This vehicle is designed to recharge between the hours of 11pm and 6 am when there is a surplus of energy available.

Not only that, but energy is recovered from the regenerative brake system, providing an extra charge.  For all extra technical mumbo-jumbo, check out Optimal Energy’s home page.

The electric car is going to be quite the phenomenon in the coming years, Zap, Zero Air Pollution, out of Santa Rosa, California has been operating electric vehicle technology since 1994, include trucks, scooters, and sedans.  While three wheels may not be completely practical for cross road trips, if you have the extra $11,000 to spend for your local commute - HECK YEA!  And they come in such cute colors! I pick the green one!

Another excellent resource to further research electric, hybrid, and plug-in vehicles is EV World.  Recently celebrating their 10th anniversary, they feature the most up to date articles & information on the electric & hybrid world.

Granted, no one wants to spend money on gas, but more importantly, we have to consider the pollution and the carbon emissions we are releasing into the world at each given moment.  If you are now in the market to look for a new vehicle, consider researching your alternatives further - in the long run, it could prove to be the more economical & wise decision.

Do you drive an electric, hybrid, or plug-in vehicle?  Leave a comment!  We wanna know what the real deal is!

There is nothing nicer than the smell of fresh laundry swaying in the breeze, while you watch it from your big front porch sipping lemonade…YEA RIGHT!  Who has time to make laundry so glamorous?! Not me.  But, I also don’t like the fact that I have to burn so much freakin’ energy just so my clothes can fluff…

In the meantime, I have cut down on dryer time by using a drying rack, which works…but we may soon have alternatives.

According to an article written by Angie Lewis, (Greenscape/first Monday/Sept. 2008) Hydromatic Technologies Corp., a local here in Orlando, FL, has created a dryer that uses 50% less energy, drys clothes 41% faster, and greatly reduces the risk of dryer-related fires compared to a conventional dryer.  This innovation uses a nontoxic and nonhazardous heat transfer fluid to heat the air blown inside a dryer.

Owner and entrepreneur, Michael Brown, began his scientific quest in a lab in his garage.  He had previously worked as an appliance repair man and was familiar with thermal fluids.  With this technology, Brown will beat the U.S. DOE’s deadline for “green” energy dryers three years early.

Keep on the lookout for a possible conversion kit for conventional dryers to turn hydronic.

Man, I guess I am on a Pickens kick. 

This time though, the focus is on T. Boone Pickens, the oil tycoon turned renewable.  He has launched a nationwide campaign to promote alternative fuel sources to help America quit its addiction to foreign oil.  You may have seen his commercials aired on the television. 

He is currently in hot pursuit of wind energy and is in the midst of creating the world’s largest wind farm in Texas.  The farm near Sweetwater, Texas, will produce 4,000 megawatts of wind power, enough to double the United States’ wind energy output. 

Pickens Plan is to find enough renewable energy sources to bide time while we create better technologies for fuel sources.  If we better utilize our natural gas and create wind generation facilities, we will have the opportunity to replace 1/3 of foreign oil in ten years.

T. Boone plans to take this campaign to the new President of the United States and to make sure the voices are heard within the first 100 days of his presidency.  He is calling for your help to be heard, click here to read more.

Remember our previous post about Fort Pickens?  The mystery of the solar panels atop an abandoned building? Some of you thought those panels powered a meth lab, others an emergency shelter, and some of you guessed right (yes, you).  The mystery has been solved!  Thanks to a Roxanne, a representative from the Gulf Islands National Seashore.  Those panels, seen below, have been used to power fans, also seen below, to keep air filtering through the building after the affects of Hurrican Ivan.  Throughout the park, there are 20 fans or so all powered through sunlight.

Pretty awesome huh?!  Thanks for the knowledge Roxanne!

The Fourth of July took us to a little place called Pensacola Beach, a completely beautiful land that promoted healthy bike rides, some vitamin C to the skin (protected by UVB & UVA sunscreen), some entertainment, and an awesome fresh fish market. The short time we were there we were fortunate enough to partake in each of these activities while celebrating the birth of our country’s freedom.

Little did I expect, silly me, that I might take an adventure that was completely spontaneous, a downright accident actually, that would lead me to a mystery. This mystery I speak of is still unsolved, and if you should have any information, please please please contact us immediately!

Our last day in Pensacola Beach our host suggested we take a bike ride to visit Fort Pickens to gain some history on our vacation. We agreed to go, thinking it might take us all of an hour to tour and then get on the ride home. So, we ride and ride, what a beautiful ride! Sugar sand beaches, clear blue green seas, fresh air in our hair and faces, and we didn’t even recognize how long we had been riding until the Fort never seemed to come. We turned around and could no longer see civilization. To make a long story short, we took a 4 hour cruise, a dip in the Gulf, a walk through 2 miles of sand pushing our bikes where the road had been washed away, introduce ourselves to Tropical Storm Bertha (she was relatively friendly considering she only threw sand in our faces and refused to rain on us) and we came across this:

Please notice the four solar panels on the roof. This house is an old Campers’ Registration/Visitor Center for when the Fort was up and running regularly before Hurricane Ivan came over in 2004. The solar panels seem to be running a set of fans that are under the awning, but I couldn’t be too sure.

So, I’ve checked with the Gulf Islands National Seashore, I’ve checked with Pensacola’s Greatest, and Google to no avail. My curiosity has been piqued as to the history behind this house, those solar panels, and what future reconstruction could bring to Fort Pickens on the Gulf Beaches of Florida.

If you have any insight to this mystery, please please please contact us!

Until then…Happy Trails!

My best pal Lauren from Dallas, TX just purchased her first house. She wanted to check out her options for renewable energy and found the Power to Choose website from Texas Electric Choice. The site teaches you about making an informed decision when you choose the best electric provider for you. After doing her research, Lauren decided to go with Gexa Energy, a “dynamic retail electricity provider based in Houston” that offers a “100% wind-powered, 100% pollution-free energy option.”

If you live outside of Texas, you can visit the U.S. DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy page to see if there is green power available in your area. The State-Specific Utility Green Pricing Programs table shows utilities in specific areas, their green program, the type of green energy they use, and how much you’ll pay for it. If you don’t see your current electric company on the list, visit your company’s website and see if they’re doing anything to move towards renewable or alternative energy.

If your local provider doesn’t offer any green power, you can purchase green energy certificates such as green tags or tradable renewable certificates (TRCs). TRCs allow you to “buy green power anywhere, regardless of whether or not your utility or supplier offers green power.” Try Green-e or choose from this huge list of renewable energy certificate marketers.

Get informed!

I read in Women’s Health that the EPA says setting your computer to automatically switch to sleep mode can reduce your household electric bill up to $75 a year. Scott Herring of support.com recommends fully closing programs that always search for updates (for example, iTunes and spyware) and turn off screen savers. Support.com even offers a free Green Computer service.

Watch their YouTube video on “How to Green Your Computer.”

I was surfing the net today when I went to my favorite search engine, Google, and I was brought to a black screen. If you have ever been to Google, you would know, they usually change up their letters for the seasons, but not the background. I was intrigued. Turns out Google has blackened their screen in support of Earth Hour, taking place around the world today, March 29, from 8 p.m. - 9 p.m. Google believes in combating climate change, though this was an event anyone could participate in, and they did something about it (an excellent process to live by).

So, what is Earth Hour? It is an event that was created in Sydney, Australia in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund to inspire people to take action on climate change. Picture this: March 31, 2007, Sydney, 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses turn out the lights. Weddings are conducted by candlelight, the Harbour Bridge goes dark, and a difference was made. If everyone in Sydney turned off their lights for one hour every day for a year it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year! Imagine if you did this in your home town, and everyone did it in theirs!

The site also gives you great ideas of things to do in the dark…not those things…but things like:

• Chill OUT (my fave) - Take this hour for you. Reflect, Read, Ponder, Converse. Get back in touch with humanity vs. your hand-held devices or your romance with the television.
• Clean Up the ‘Hood - Go outside, walk down your street, & pick up garbage. Simple, close to home, and contributing to society—plus, people take notice.
• Turn Down the Heat - Take this opportunity to lower your thermostat (home and ‘fridge), by two degrees. You won’t even notice and it makes a huge difference.

Join today, the countdown is on!